Toy excavator shovel



June 12, 1951 W L 2,556,355

TOY EXCAVATOR SHOVEL Filed Feb. 4, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

GEORGE A. WORRA ATTORN EYS June 12, 1951 G. A. WORRALL TOY EXCAVATOR SHOVEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 4, 1946 IN V EN TOR. GEO RGE A. WORRALL ATTORNEYS Patented June 12, 1951 [TED STATES: EATENT QFFI r TOY- EXCAVATOHSHOVEL.

George Aaworrall, San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 4, 1946, SeriaIJNo. 645,348

2 Claims..-

This. invention relates to. a toy excavator shovel; andione of the objectsxof the. invention isfltoi provide: a toy shoveli that simulates the largeexcav'ator shovelsxin appearanceiandlaction but that'ienables :actuation: of the dipper handle andi'dipper iina much faster-and easier manner than: heretofore.-

v Another object/ f theinvention isithe "provisioniofitaitoy excavator shovel that includes. a yieldably' 'rocking frame mounting the i boom :and

dipper handle, and which frame is rotatable for swinging the "boom and; dipper handle, includingtheidipper: and "controls for the handle K and dipper; about a vertical 'axis; andwhichswingmama-yr be effected by manipulation of said controls;

Heretofore in: most toy: excavator shovelsof which Iiam aware, the dipper handleis actuated byazewindlass-that;isconneeted with the handle offia flexible line-inasmuch as this system in genera1,iisithe one actually used in large power shovels";- However, the resulting actuation of the handle by=this method 'is slow and thewind-' lass." may slip, releasing the handle prematurely, on a zratchetand 'pawlmeans is used for-the Windlass, the same is expensive and subject to breakage and is difficult: .for' very small children tosmanipulate"properly: Furthermore, once "the 'dipperzhandle and dipperyare elevated the child must -maniplulate:.some other part of the toy to swing;the=.same to thedesiredfposition for discharges'of :the :loadi With: the; presentiiinvention: the foregoing objectionsrare overcome: and the. dipper may be elevatediby manipulation of a simple lever: that sim'ulatesrtheleveroused' on the actual shovels forwcontro'lling'thevwindlass while a-second simi- I larslevensmay: be'manipulated' to vrelease the dip- P311101; dischargingiits'lo'ad; The lever for actuating the a dipper; handle also functionsfor swinging the latter so the: child mayvery' rapidly swing thesdipper through. a. loading-istroke and practically simultaneously; swing? the! dipper;

about-:- a ,vertical; axis; tosran'; unloading :position;

The: dipper: handle iszacarriedc on." a-eswinging; frame: that: is also; adaptedtto: rock-1 slightly: as: the :diDDtr is loaded; much; in :the "same manner: as,--a.-large shovel; w which; adds; tor: the: childis' in;

terestwin; the toy."

Otheri objects :.and; advantages will. appear in.

the-description and drawings:

In the;--dra,vvings-; Fig; 1- isya' side;elevational::

view of the toy with the dipper in loading DOSiL-L tion, and in; dot-dash: linesarr adjustedposition of: the: dipper: an'dix handles is indicated: The

frame and baseisupport for-the shovel isbroken away' and partly in'section' to showinternal I- structure;

Fig= 2iis areduced fragmentary-view indicating the dipper and h'andle in elevated position andshowing. the actuation of "ailever for so" elvat--- ing the I same."

Fig 3-isa view similar to that of Fig: 2, but showing the dipper lever-in position releasing" the: dipper walls' from material retainingpositi'on for discharge of the load;

Fig; 4 is a top plan-view of the toy ofFig 1;- In detail, the toy' as illustrated comprises a horizontalbaseplate-I having doW-nW-ardly' excorners for passage of axles-'3 therethrough,

which -axles carry ground Wheels A thereon for supporting the base plate for movement overthe floor or" ground:

Above baseplate I is -a frame having a'hori zent'al fioor plate: 5 that overlies the baseplate? Opposed-I sidewallet integral with said floorplate extend upwardly from two opposite edges" of the latter; and 'a top strip- 1 connects the side walls Giat their upper ends.

of' -said 'strip astbest seen in'Fi'g; 1.

Floor'p1ate'5and'the base platel are coaxia1lyapertured centrally:thereof for passage'of a ver ti'cal bolt-8} and-a coil spring 9 around said bolt is positioned between the two plates;-

may rock: as wil1later be explainedmore fullyp it beingsufficient atthe present" to,- notethati the floor" plate is yieldably heldby spring '9 "par-' allel with" plate 3| and spaced" above, the latter.

A horizontal rod-15 is'carried by'side walls, 6 at a point spaced above'floor plate Sand parallel with strip rat a point'aboutdirectly, below one .ofthelongitudinal edges ofsaid'strip; Saidrod is-preferablycloser to plate'5' than to strip] and is secured at its endsto said" side walls "6 ex'-'- tending through the latter:

A boom generally designated 16, is preferably formedotaxsingleestrip ofmetal bent" to gentending-side flanges Z that are apertured at their 'I'he strip T is about centrally disposed -over the floor plate-g and is relatively-narrow, and-the lateral edges of the side plates extend convex-gently to opposite edges When nut: lll -on bolt' B is tightened to hold thespring il' eunder compression (but slightly expanded) the erally U-shape, but with the end portions I! of the legs thereof adjacent their free ends being more widely spaced than the portions l8 thereof adjacent their connected ends, as seen in Fig. 4. The portions I! extend alongside side walls 6 and are apertured at their outer ends for rod l that extends through said ends. Rivets 20 spaced from the free ends of portions H secure the latter to said side walls, whereby the boom will be held rigid with said walls.

The rivets 20 are spaced above rod I5 and adjacent the strip 7 for supporting the boom in upwardly slanted position between vertical and horizontal so that its outer end projects laterally beyond the frame carrying floor plate I as well as beyond base plate I.

A dipper handle 2! in the form of a channel strip, extends between the portions l8 of the outer end of boom it, the sides of said strip bein adjacent said portions 18. Said sides of the dipper handle are apertured at a point relatively close to one end 22 of the handle and relatively remote from the other end 23 thereof. The portions N3 of the boom are correspondingly apertured at a point adjacent the closed outer end of the boom and a pivot 24, which may be in the form of a cotter pin, extends through the said apertures in the handle and boom about which the handle is adapted to pivot.

The dipper handle 2| will automatically swing by gravity to a vertical position if no force is applied thereto, with the end 23 lowermost.

Said end 23 is preferably disposed at an angle to the remaining length of the dipper handle, and in a direction extending toward the wheel mounted base of the shovel when the handle is vertical. Carried on said end 23 and rigid therewith is a bottom wall 24 of a dipper. tom wall is preferably substantially parallel with said end 23 and has flanges 25 at its opposite edgesthat extend from the side of the bottom opposite end 23, said flanges being in planes parallel with the sides of the dipper handle.

The remainder of the dipper comprises an end wall 26 that -is adapted to extend parallel with the outermost end edge of bottom 24' and over said bottom when the dipper is closed. Side walls 21 extend at right angles to said end wall from its end edges and are integral with said end wall. These side walls are in planes parallel with flanges 25 and preferably extend alongside the inner opposed sides of said flanges. Pivots 28- connect said side walls with'said flanges at the ends thereof that are nearest the pivot 24 and which ends are at about the juncture between the angularly extending end 23 of the dipper handle and the straight length thereof that extends from end 23 to said pivot 24. Thus the end .wall: 26 can be swung away from the adjacent edge of the bottom wall 24' about pivots 28, whichpivots are coaxial.

Extending between side Walls 21 of the dipper is1a cross piece 30 (Fig. 4) provided with an eye 3| intermediate its ends. The ends of said cross piece pivotally extend through said side Walls 21 at points adjacent the free edges of side walls 21, but spaced outwardly of pivots 28 with respect to bottom wall 24'.

A pair of vertically extendin levers 35, 36 are pivotally supported at their lower ends on rod 15 adjacent the opposite ends of said rod. A spacer tube 31 on said rod and between the lower ends of said levers holds the latter spaced from each other.

When said levers extend vertically upwardly This botfrom rod I5 they are adapted to engage the edge of strip 1 that faces away from the boom [6, which strip prevents the levers from swinging past the same in the direction of the boom, although said levers may be swung in the opposite direction until they extend generally horizontally and until they strike the floor plate 5.

A flexible line in the form of a chain 38 connects with lever 36 at one of its ends at a point on said lever adjacent its upper end, and the opposite end of chain 38 connects with the outer end of the short portion 22 of the dipper handle. A handle knob or enlargement 39 on the upper end of lever 36 facilitates the engagement by the upper end of said lever with the childs hand.

As previously stated, the dipper handle tends to swing automatically by gravity to vertically extending position with the dipper lowermost or on the ground, and with the short end portion 22 projecting upwardly from the outer end of the boom. The chain 38 connecting said end portion 22 with the lever will hold the lever vertically and against strip 1. Upon the childs grasping the knob 39 on lever 36 and swinging said lever to horizontally extending position, as seen in Fig. 2, the dipper handle 2! will be swung through a digging arc to horizontally extending elevated position and will be ready for swinging of the boom about pivot 8 to any desired position for releasing the dipper and unloading its contents.

The eye 3| of cross piece 30 that is on the dipper is connected with the upper end of lever 35 by a chain 40, which chain slidably extends over the pivot pin 24 that pivotally supports the dipper handle. A knob or handle 4! similar to handle 39 is on the upper end of lever 35.

When the dipper handleis elevated the sides 21 and end wall 26 thereof are supported on the bottom Wall 24, thus coacting with the bottom wall for formin a receptacle for the material being dug by the dipper. If, as in Fig. 1, the dipper should be open when the cutting stroke starts, it will automatically close before the dipper leaves the ground and before any material can escape therefrom.

When the dipper handle is in the horizontally extending position seen in Fig. 2, a swinging of lever arm 35 downwardly to a position even with lever 36 will pull the dipper open, releasing the material therein for dumpin as seen in Fig. 3.

It is pertinent to note that when the lever 36 is in the position seen in Fig. 2 and the dipper handle is elevated, the child may swing the boom and frame carrying it in any direction about pivot 8 merely by swinging the lever 36 laterally. In other words, the hand that swun the lever downwardly can then swing laterally for swinging the boom without necessitatin a new grip being taken or without requiring the use of the other hand of the child.

This feature and the fact that the levers 35, 36 simulate the levers on a, large power shovel, make the present invention particularly attractive to children. In power shovels, in so far as children are concerned, the Windlass is relatively unimportant. They see the operator pull a lever, whereupon the dipper handle swings upwardly. He may pull another lever and the dipper releases its load. In the presentinvention these results also occur, but without the complicated intervening parts that are of no interest to the child.

The spring 9 between the floor plate 5 and the base plate I keeps the floor plate away from the base plate during swinging of the boom, and When a load is being dug by the dipper, the floor plate will yieldably tilt as in large power shovels,

thus simulating the action of the large shovels;

Also this yieldable movement reduces the shock on the base plate where rocks are encountered during the digging stroke.

The dipper handle may have additional openings 50 therein for the pivot 24, thus enabling the shovel to hang in the position shown at 5! in dot-dash line and also changing the stroke of the dipper.

The detailed description and drawings are not to be considered restrictive of the invention, but merely illustrative of a preferred form thereof.

I claim:

1. A toy excavator shovel comprising a wheel mounted base plate, a frame above said plate vertically pivoted to the latter for swinging about a vertical axis, a vertically extending lever pivotally secured to said frame at its lower end at one side of said axis for downward swinging of its upper end in a direction away from said axis, a boom rigid on said frame extending slantingly upwardly and outwardly therefrom at the opposite side of said axis and in a direction directly opposite to the direction of swing of said lever, a vertically extending dipper handle pivotally secured at a point intermediate its ends to the outer end of said boom, a dipper secured to the lower end of said handle, a flexible line connecting the upper end of said lever with the upper end of said handle for swinging said handle upon said downward swinging of the upper end of said lever,

said lever being positioned for downward swing- 1 ing to generally horizontal position with its upper end projecting from the side of said frame opposite said boom to enable a child outwardly of the side opposite said boom to swing said frame including the boom about said axis by said lever.

. frame above said plate vertically pivoted to the latter for swinging about a vertical axis, a pair of vertically extending levers pivotally secured to said frame at their lower ends at one ide of said axis for downward swinging of their upper ends in a direction away from said axis, a boom on said frame extending slantingly upwardly and outwardly from said frame at the other side of said axis, a vertically extending dipper handle pivotally secured at a point intermediate its ends to the outer end of said boom, a dipper secured to the lower end of said handle having a wall movable relative to'said handle for releasing the contents of the dipper, a pair of flexible lines respectively connecting the upper ends of said levers with the upper end of said handle and with said Wall for swinging said dipper handle and for causing said movement of said wall upon said downward swinging of the upper ends of said levers, said levers being positioned for swinging downwardly to generally horizontally extending positions with their upper ends projecting from the side of said frame opposite said boom to enable a child to swing said frame about said axis by either or both of said levers.

GEORGE A. WORRALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,827,541 Opperman Oct. 13, 1931 1,939,442 Gaver Dec. 12, 1933 2,028,582 Arden Jan. 21, 1936 2,117,919 Summers May 1'7, 1938 2,247,619 Penica July 1, 1941 

